Ministry of Defence

Defence: Procurement

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new environmental, social and governance rules on (1) defence companies' costs and ability to access financial services, and (2) Ministry of Defence procurement costs.

Baroness Goldie: Trade associations and individual companies have raised the issue of ESG in discussions with Ministers and officials from across government. While we have so far seen no evidence that ESG criteria are leading to increased procurement costs, we are aware of instances where companies, particularly SMEs, have found obstacles to accessing financial services. Officials across Government are working closely with trade associations and the financial sector to understand the nature and extent of the issue, and agree mitigating actions where appropriate. The Government is unequivocal that there is nothing unethical about investing in and providing financial services to the UK defence sector and the financial services sector should not be disadvantaging companies based on their association with defence. On the contrary, a strong national defence is a pre-requisite for the freedoms and rule of law that we often take for granted. Industry and Government are also showing leadership on all aspects of the ESG agenda as illustrated by the recent launch of the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy. We will continue this work with our industrial partners to explore and champion the wider environmental and social benefit of the defence sector.

Treasury

Parcels: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whether under the Postal Packets (Miscellaneous Arrangements) Regulations 2023 a business sending a parcel to an individual consumer in Northern Ireland will need to be part of the Trusted Trader scheme to avoid any customs declarations or other additional paperwork.

Baroness Swinburne: These regulations will ensure HMRC and Border Force have the power to make risk-based and intelligence-led interventions on parcels sent from GB to NI, to be able to verify that they are compliant with the rules.

Apprentices: Pay

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those on apprenticeships are being paid what they are legally entitled to.

Baroness Swinburne: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the NMW receives it. HMRC enforces the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. HMRC won’t hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to. We take seriously and review all complaints from workers including apprentices referred by the ACAS Helpline or received via the online complaints form. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact ACAS, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or submit a query online at gov.uk (see footnote[1]). In addition to the enforcement of NMW legislation HMRC deliver a programme of upstream ‘Promote’ work designed to encourage employer compliance which includes apprentices. This involves a range of activities to increase both employers’ and workers’ understanding of NMW rules. [1] www.Gov.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints .

Trader Support Service

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any changes to the criteria against which the Trader Support Service should be audited have been made since the time the tender was first awarded.

Baroness Penn: No changes were made to the award criteria.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Drugs

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact ofdelayed deliveries in homecare medicines services on patients, including on the extent of harms.

Lord Markham: NHS England cannot provide relevant information to this question without creation of new data and analysis derived from manual clinical review or other processes. Arrangements for future reporting are being worked on and NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in homecare, so as to inform future improvement actions. A project by the National Homecare Medicines Committee to review the national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set is already underway with consultation due later this summer and final documents expected for approval in December 2023. Publication of performance against the KPIs is part of this project.

Fractures: Health Services

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis the budget for falls prevention; and whether they have any plans to allocate a portion of that budget to Fracture Liaison Services in order to (1) diagnose osteoporosis early, and (2) prevent hip fractures.

Lord Markham: NHS England does not have a specific budget on a national level for falls prevention, which is a focus within certain policy programmes, including Enhanced Health in Care Homes. The Department continues to work with NHS England on the consideration and implementation of musculoskeletal policy, including Fracture Liaison Services.

Prescriptions: ICT

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask His Majesty's Government when they anticipate all NHS Trusts to have implemented Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration systems.

Lord Markham: The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent focus on recovery has seen some National Health Service trusts delay implementing Electronic Prescribing and Medication Administration, meaning the timeline for implementation has been pushed to 2025. However, the implementation of e-prescribing in NHS trusts remains a key and appropriate deliverable as part of the vision to digitally transform the NHS. Additionally, the Electronic Prescription Service, which has been widely used in primary care over the past 18 years, is being made available to all NHS trusts by March 2025, should they want to utilise it.

Drugs: Safety

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential of human-specific technologies, such as liver-on-a-chip, to improve the accuracy of tests to ascertain the safety of new drugs in humans.

Lord Markham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of human-specific technologies, including organ-on-chip technologies, to better identify potential toxicity and safety of novel medicines and has engaged with other organisations active in this space such as the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research which has hosted meetings on this theme. The MHRA has also provided scientific advice to at least one biotechnology company on the use of this technology to support proof of concept for a new medicine. The MHRA does not identify those with whom it may have had discussions who are active commercially in this space.In relation to human specific methods, some medicines have been developed which only have activity in humans, such as eculizumab (Soliris), tebentafusp (Kimmtrak) or CAR T cell products (for instance, Kymriah, Yescarta and Tecartus). These medicines were developed using human specific methods; however, versions of these medicines that were active in animals were, in some cases, also used. The MHRA supports the developers of these products by its offer of scientific advice services, the Innovation Office and the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway.

Medicine: Research

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what resource commitment they are providing to enable the translation of medical research into implementation in practice.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) puts high quality research evidence at the heart of decision making in the National Health Service, public health, and social care. Through research, the NIHR helps policy makers, health & care professionals and patients make evidence-based decisions about which treatments and practices are most effective and which make best use of resources.In 2022/23, the NIHR’s budget was approximately £1.25 billion, and resourcing to enable translation of research into practice is embedded across multiple workstreams in the NIHR portfolio. Through the Centre for Engagement and Dissemination, the NIHR also leads and coordinates activities which support the translation of NIHR evidence into practice, at a total five-year contract value of approximately £9.8 million.

Dementia: Drugs

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the preparedness of the Health Service and Social Care system to take full advantage of the benefits of new drugs to treat and alleviate dementia should they become approved and available.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a swift roll out of new drugs to treat dementia should they become approved and available.

Lord Markham: The Government wants all patients to benefit from rapid access to safe and effective new medicines in a way that is affordable and represents value to the National Health Service. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the manufacturers and will aim to issue recommendations for the NHS on new licensed medicines for dementia as close as possible to licensing.NHS England stands ready to ensure patients can benefit from any new licensed and NICE approved disease modifying treatment for dementia as quickly as possible.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of thenumber of patients who have (1) been hospitalised, and (2) sought alternative treatment, due to delays in homecare medicines delivery; and what assessment they have made of the cost of this to the NHS.

Lord Markham: NHS England cannot provide relevant information to these questions without creation of new data and analysis derived from manual clinical review or other processes. Arrangements for future reporting are being worked on and NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in homecare, so as to inform future improvement actions. A project by the National Homecare Medicines Committee to review the national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set is already underway with consultation due later this summer and final documents expected for approval in December 2023. Publication of performance against the KPIs is part of this project.

Care Workers: Recruitment

Lord Turnberg: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the outcome of the national recruitment campaign for care workers, ‘Made with Care’.

Lord Markham: Due to the fragmented nature of the adult social care sector and no centralised operational recruitment data tracking, it is not possible to assess the number of new adult social care workers expected to be recruited as a result of campaign activity.However, to mitigate this, proxy measures have been developed to assess campaign impact, which include visits to the campaign website and searches for a job in adult social care during the campaign period.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Bach: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of homecare medicines delivery to the NHS in each of the past five years.

Lord Markham: No assessment has been made. The National Clinical Homecare Association collates data and estimates approximately 500,000 patients are in receipt of a homecare medicines service with an estimated annual value of £3.2 billion. However, these figures have not been validated by the National Health Service.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of NHS procurement processes for homecare medicines services in each of the last five years.

Lord Markham: NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in Homecare Medicines Service to inform any future improvement actions.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they havemade of the number of (1) patient safety incidents, and (2) duty of candour events, that have occurred in relation to homecare medicines services in each of the past five years.

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the nationalaverage for reports of duty of candour events as a percentage of active patients for NHS trusts.

Lord Markham: NHS England cannot provide relevant information to these questions without creation of new data and analysis derived from manual clinical review or other processes. Arrangements for future reporting are being worked on and NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in homecare, so as to inform future improvement actions. A project by the National Homecare Medicines Committee to review the national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set is already underway with consultation due later this summer and final documents expected for approval in December 2023. Publication of performance against the KPIs is part of this project.To monitor industry trends, the home care providers association, the National Clinical Homecare Association, aggregates all providers’ KPIs and they have provided written evidence to the House of Lords Public Services Committee as part of their current investigation into the Homecare Medicines service which has been published. This includes data on patient safety incidents and duty of candour reports, of which a copy is attached.Report Data (pdf, 568.2KB)

Palliative Care: Finance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the contribution made by each integrated care board to (1) hospices, and (2) other end of life services, for the 2023/24 financial year; and what proportion of the total funding raised by hospices each such contribution represents.

Lord Markham: NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of individual resources to integrated care boards (ICBs), which are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life care in response to the needs of their local population.NHS England has no plans to publish the contribution made by each ICB to hospices or other end of life services, nor the proportion of total funding raised by hospices each contribution represents. ICB annual reports and accounts are published by each individual ICB and are available to the public via their websites.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June, on the staffing and provision of homecare pharmacy teams.

Lord Markham: The assessment of demand for staff in the underpinning modelling for the NHS Long term Workforce Plan takes account of the service plans to deliver more care out of hospitals, in line with the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. We will continue to develop the workforce modelling, publishing a refreshed projection every two years.The Plan includes the expansion of training pathways for pharmacists and technicians which will, in time, increase the pool of staff from which trust homecare teams are recruiting, subject to agreeing appropriate funding from commissioners to recruit.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current and future demand for homecare medicines services; how many patients have accessed homecare medicines services in each of the last five years, both in total and broken down by (1) region of England, and (2) type of condition; how many of these were classed as active patients.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government how many medicines deliveries have been made through homecare medicines services in each of the last five years; and how many of these deliveries included a visit from a healthcare professional.

Lord Markham: The Homecare Medicines sector has delivered services to an increasing number of patients within the National Health Service in recent years and the demand for convenient ways of accessing medicines is expected to continue.The National Clinical Homecare Association collates data and estimates approximately 500,000 patients are in receipt of a homecare medicines service in England. However, these figures have not been validated by the NHS.NHS England collects data for its national framework agreements; however, it is not in a readily accessible form for analysis and would require significant manual review and analysis to provide. Arrangements for future reporting are being worked on and NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in homecare, so as to inform future improvement actions. A project by the National Homecare Medicines Committee to review the national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set is already underway with consultation due later this summer and final documents expected for approval in December 2023. Publication of performance against these KPIs is part of this project.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times homecare medicines were not delivered on the initial date agreed by the clinician in the last year for which figures are available; how many patients required further medical treatment, including hospitalisation, due to delays in the supply of homecare medicines in that period; and how many patients required surgery due to delays in the delivery of medicines for (1) Crohn's disease, and (2) Colitis.

Lord Markham: NHS England collects data in respect of the first question for its national framework agreements, however it is not in a readily accessible form for analysis and would require significant manual review and analysis to provide. No patient level data is collected against each of the framework agreements and admissions data is not linked to homecare systems data. This reason for admission would also need to be coded correctly within the hospital records.Arrangements for future reporting are being worked on and NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in homecare, so as to inform future improvement actions. A project by the National Homecare Medicines Committee to review the national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set is already underway with consultation due later this summer and final documents expected for approval in December 2023. Publication of performance against these KPIs is part of this project.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the review by Mark HackettHomecare Medicines: Towards a Vision for the Future, published on 30 November 2011, when they will implement the recommendation contained in that review which states that "the NHS should pursue an immediate unbundling of homecare medical dispensing, delivery and associated service costs. The NHS should define these costs and reduce them from their current prices".

Lord Markham: For the four national frameworks for homecare medicines and services agreements which NHS England’s Commercial Medicines Unit (CMU) manages on behalf of the National Health Service’s referring centres, all elements are unbundled for transparency of cost.Regional homecare frameworks do not secure pricing for licensed medicines, instead they require homecare providers to supply medicines at the CMU contracted price for generic and branded medicines. In this way, all NHS-funded services routed through regional frameworks are 'unbundled', with competition applied during tenders to the service on both a technical and commercial basis.Following the Hackett recommendations, the CMU and other local regional procurement teams have for some years now requested separate pricing from manufacturers for pharma-funded homecare medicines services during their branded medicines tendering process to secure ‘unbundled’ pricing, although manufacturers often submit the same price both for supply to hospital and supply to patient homes.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to implement the recommendations of the review conducted by Mark Hackett, 'Homecare Medicines: Towards a Vision for the Future', published in 2011; and what assessment they have made of the progress towards full implementation.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential role of homecare medicines services in achieving the priority within the NHS long term plan to "boost 'out-of-hospital' care".

Lord Markham: The recommendations of the 2011 Hackett review were implemented with the publications of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Professional Standards for Homecare Services in England’ in 2013 and in 2014 with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Handbook for Homecare Services in England’ to aid implementation of the 2013 standards.Homecare medicines services deliver ongoing medicine supplies and, where necessary, associated care, initiated by the hospital prescriber, direct to the patient’s home with their consent. Homecare medicines services offer many benefits to patients and the National Health Service including patients receiving their medicines at home, reducing the need to visit secondary care services for example, hospital outpatient settings and improving access to new medicines for patients.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients are currently in receipt of homecare medicines services; what is the total cost to the NHS of homecare medicines services for the latest year for which figures are available; and what is the total number of (1) late deliveries, (2) incorrect deliveries, and (3) deliveries without the required attendance of a healthcare professional.

Lord Markham: The National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) collates data and estimates approximately 500,000 patients are in receipt of a homecare medicines service in England with an estimated annual value of £3.2 billion. However, these figures have not been validated by the National Health Service.To monitor industry trends, providers provide the same data set to the NCHA, allowing for the aggregation of all providers metrics. The NCHA reports that delivery performance of providers (delivery to patients on the agreed date) was 99.0% in 2020; 98.6% in 2021; and 98.8% in 2022.NHS England collects data for its national framework agreements; however, it is not in a readily accessible form for analysis and would require significant manual review and analysis to provide. Arrangements for future reporting are being worked on and NHS England is undertaking a piece of work to understand the issues in homecare, so as to inform future improvement actions. A project by the National Homecare Medicines Committee to review the national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set is already underway with consultation due later this summer and final documents expected for approval in December 2023. Publication of performance against these KPIs is part of this project.

Department for Business and Trade

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, under the provisions of the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland manufacturers will be able to manufacture goods compatible with the requirements and regulations of theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade arrangements.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, under the provisions of the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland will be ableto participate fully and on the same basis as other parts of the UK in theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership(CPTPP) trade arrangements.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken under theframework of the UK internal market to ensure that all parts of the UK are able to (1) fully, and (2) equally,participate under the terms of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade arrangements.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: We have provided for the application of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to all four parts of the UK, which includes Northern Ireland. CPTPP also takes into account the effects of the Windsor Framework by allowing the United Kingdom to take measures under the Windsor Framework designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and to protect the peace process. Manufacturers and exporters in Northern Ireland will benefit from CPTPP in the same way as exporters in England, Scotland and Wales.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement aligns with the UK’s commitment to environmental protection.

The Earl of Minto: The Government has made clear that we will not compromise on the UK's environmental protections in our Free Trade Agreements.The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) includes an extensive environment chapter which recognises Parties' sovereign right to regulate for their own levels of domestic environmental protection.

Utilities: Nationalisation

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to re-nationalise public utilities to provide water, electricity and gas in instances where there are, in effect, natural monopolies and limited choice or representation for consumers.

The Earl of Minto: The government has no plans to re-nationalise the water, electricity, or gas industries. Properly regulated markets, which incentivise private capital to invest in the energy and water systems, provide the best outcome for consumers and promote market competition as the best driver of efficiency, innovation, and value.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byThe Earl of Minto on 18 July (HL9088), whether they will now answer the question which was asked.

The Earl of Minto: We do not collate information across government regarding the sums spent on supporting the steel industry in Wales.We have provided £730mn in energy costs relief to the UK steel sector since 2013. However, we are unable to publish a breakdown of the value of energy intensive industry cost relief schemes to the steel sector in Wales. Doing so would be disclosive, enabling some companies or third parties to calculate how much support other companies have received. Steel companies in Wales will also benefit from the British Industry Supercharger measures to reduce energy costs for energy intensive industries.As previously set out, industrial sectors, including the steel sector in Wales, have also been able to bid into Government funds worth hundreds of millions of pounds to support energy efficiency and de-carbonisation. For example, Cardiff-based Celsa Steel UK has been awarded grants totalling £5,295,451 from Phase 1 of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. Celsa has also successfully repaid a £30mn Government loan, which supported 1800 jobs.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to ratifying the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is fully committed to the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the UK.As with any international treaty, UK ratification of UNESCO Conventions should be considered fully, taking into account value for money to the UK taxpayer and the interests of the Devolved Administrations and our Overseas Territories. This process is making good progress, and Ministers expect to take a decision on the merits of ratification soon.

Opera: Finance

Lord Murphy of Torfaen: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has received concerning cuts to opera funding in England and Wales.

Lord Murphy of Torfaen: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with Arts Council England to discuss funding cuts for the Welsh National Opera.

Lord Murphy of Torfaen: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with the Welsh Government to discuss the cuts to the Welsh National Opera by Arts Council England.

Lord Murphy of Torfaen: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has to meet with the (1) Secretary of State for Wales, and (2) Welsh Government ministers, to discuss funding cuts to the Welsh National Opera.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: It is important that people across the country have access to a diverse range of cultural opportunities. Arts and cultural bodies receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including through Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Arts Council of Wales, which as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body works within a strategic framework agreed with the Welsh Government.In addition to the £4.6 million it received from the Arts Council of Wales each year, the Welsh National Opera will receive £4 million of public funding through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, and was also successful in its application to Arts Council England's ‘Transform Programme’, through which it will receive an additional one-off payment of £3.25 million. This means the Welsh National Opera will receive over £15 million of public funding from Arts Council England between 2023 and 2026.Cultural organisations across the UK such as the Welsh National Opera are also benefiting from the two-year extension to the higher rates of theatre, orchestra, museums and galleries exhibition tax reliefs announced at the last Budget. This extension will continue to offset ongoing pressures and boost investment in our cultural sectors. They will encourage investment in productions across the UK, support cultural organisations to tour, drive economic growth, and allow the sector to maintain its international competitiveness and reputation.Arts Council England remains committed in its support for opera, and its 2023–26 Investment Programme has 13 organisations (an increase from the previous round) receiving a share of £30 million per annum (a figure which counts just 50% of the Royal Opera House grant, as that organisation is also home to the Royal Ballet). This represents around 40% of the Programme’s total investment in music (around £76 million p.a. when including 50% of the Royal Opera House’s funding).Since decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, are made by Arts Council England at arm’s length from Government, and are a devolved matter in relation to Wales, the Department has no plans to meet any of the organisations or other Ministers named in relation to the Welsh National Opera.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Rolando Álvarez

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament on 15 September 2022, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on 27 June relating to the treatment of Bishop Rolando Álvarez; and what discussions they have had with the government of Nicaragua concerning the re-arrest and imprisonment in that country of Bishop Rolando Álvarez and three other priests, and the holding of two others under house arrest.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 28 June, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, Fiona Bruce MP, called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bishop Alvarez and all others wrongly deprived of their freedom in Nicaragua, naming Bishop Álvarez as a prisoner of conscience. The UK continues to call for the release of Bishop Álvarez and all political prisoners in Nicaragua, including in conversations with the Nicaraguan authorities in Managua. The increasing suppression of political rights and the detention and expulsion of opposition politicians, activists and members of the clergy are further evidence of the serious democratic crisis in Nicaragua.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the military regime in Myanmar regarding the release from prison of Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of theNational League for Democracy.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has repeatedly called for the military to release prisoners who have been arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi. In December 2022, the UN Security Council passed the first ever resolution on the situation in Myanmar, coordinated by the UK, which urged immediate action by the military regime to release all those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The UK reiterated this demand in the G7 Leader's statement on 20 May.

Hkalam Samson

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the military regime in Myanmar regarding the release of imprisoned former president of the Kachin Baptist Convention, Reverend Samson.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns the arbitrary detention of politicians, civil society members, religious leaders and journalists by the military regime, including the former President of the Kachin Baptist Convention, Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson. On 18 April, the UK Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) called for Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson's immediate release and for the release of all those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar. On 21 December 2022 the UK coordinated a landmark UN Security Council Resolution which urged immediate action by the military regime to release all those in arbitrary detention. The UK reiterated this demand in the G7 Leader's statement on 20 May 2023.

Myanmar: Humanitarian Situation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy in response to the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar; and what steps are they taking, together with allies, to restrict economic and other support to the military regime in that country and to provide humanitarian and other aid to the people of Myanmar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government continues to monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, and has led a strong, coordinated international response to the crisis. Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has worked closely with the US, Canada and the EU to target sanctions on the military leadership, reducing its access to revenue, arms and military equipment. The UK has co-sponsored a number of Human Rights Council resolutions on Myanmar, including a resolution in April 2023 on the human rights situation in Myanmar, which condemns the regime's human rights violations and renews the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar. The UK has also provided more than £120 million in humanitarian and development assistance since the coup, focused on life-saving assistance, emergency healthcare and education.

Myanmar: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Situation of human rights in Myanmar since 1 February 2021, and (2) the address by the new High Commissioner to the Human Rights Council on 6 July in which he warned that Myanmar is in “deadly freefall” into “even deeper violence and heartbreak”, with the military regime engaging in a “systematic denial” of humanitarian aid to its people.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcome the recent report and address from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. The UK condemns the military regime's campaign of human rights violations in Myanmar, including against Rohingya and other ethnic and religious minorities. We condemn the increasing use of indiscriminate airstrikes and burning of villages, and credible reports of extra-judicial killings, rape and other sexual and gender-based violence.Since the coup, the UK has provided over £120 million in life saving assistance, emergency healthcare and education for displaced and conflict affected people. We led on the first ever UN Security Council resolution on the situation in Myanmar in December 2022, which urges an immediate end to violence and calls for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. In May 2023, following devastating Cyclone Mocha, we reiterated our calls in international fora for the protection of civilians and full humanitarian access to all those in need.

Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount of funding directly targeting reproductive health disbursed under codes (1) 13010, (2) 13021 or 13022, (3) 13030, and (4) 13081, of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee in the financial years (a) 2020, and (b) 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The total amount of FCDO Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funding directly targeting reproductive health disbursed under codes (1) 13010, (2) 13021 or 13022, (3) 13030, and (4) 13081 are noted in the table below. This is part of the' Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) in the financial years 2020, and 2021. Please note "13020" is the official OECD DAC code for both "13021" and "13022". These codes were defined and solely used by the former Department for International Development. This did not exist in the former Foreign and Commonwealth Office spend data and would not provide a complete picture for the FCDO.UK ODA spend (in £)202020211301011m7m13020109m55m13030164m129m1308111m3m

Development Aid: AIDS and HIV Infection

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount of funding directly targeting HIV and AIDS under codes (1) 13041, and (2) 13042, of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee in the financial years (a) 2020, and (b) 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Details of UK Government Official Development Assistance spending broken down by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) codes are published in Statistics on International Development. Funding directly targeting HIV and AIDS under OECD code 13040 was £9 million for calendar year 2020 and £6 million for 2021. 13040 is the official OECD code for both 13041 and 13042 and no further breakdowns are available. These codes were defined and solely used by the former Department for International Development. They did not exist in the former Foreign and Commonwealth Office data on spending and would not provide a complete picture for the FCDO. The OECD code does not cover the UK's multilateral contributions and therefore does not present a full picture of UK support to combatting HIV and AIDS, for example the UK contributed £476 million in 2020 and £380 million in 2021 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, of which around 50 per cent went towards HIV and AIDS, and £15 million and £2.5 million towards UNAIDS.

Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount of sexual and reproductive health and rights funding they have disbursed through (1) bilateral aid, (2) multilateral aid, or (3) other funding mechanisms in (a) 2020, and (b) 2021.

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of official development assistance was allocated to sexual and reproductive health and rights issues in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) funding disbursed through bilateral and multilateral funding and total funding for 2020 and 2021 are stated in the table below. This is based on OECD DAC credit report system data, SRHR spend methodology laid out in the 'Donors Delivering for SRHR' 2023 report and the latest OECD DAC exchange rates, and the data was adjusted for inflation using 2020 constant price. Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) can only be spent via multilateral or bilateral funding mechanisms. Total SRHRCore Multilateral SRHRBilateral SRHRYearly SRHR disbursement as % of total ODA2020£645.34m£311.52m£333.82m4.89%2021£469.25m£263.18m£206.07m4.54%

Development Aid: Women

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of official development assistance was allocated to programmes targeted towards women and girls in fragile or conflict-affected states in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In 2020 and 2021, the UK provided annual totals of £2.25 billion and £1.28 billion, respectively, of bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to countries/regions classed as fragile or conflict affected (FCAS) where gender equality was identified by project teams either a significant or principal aim of the spend. This amount represented 23.6% and 17.9% of total UK bilateral ODA in these respective years. The list of FCAS are defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).The FCDO will continue to prioritise efforts to address the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls, as set out in the new Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan and the International Women and Girls Strategy, including to ensure a strong focus on gender equality in our programming.

Development Aid

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount of (1) core and (2) non-core financial contributions to (a) the United Nations Population Fund, (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, (c) the World Health Organization, (d) UNICEF, (e) UNAIDS, (f) the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and (g) UN Women, in the financial years (i) 2020, and (ii) 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The core and non-core financial contributions for the calendar years 2020 and 2021 for the requested organisations are listed below. Details of the UK government's Official Development Assistance (ODA) is provided in Table A8 of the annual Statistics on International Development publication. Data for 2022 will be published in the Autumn.Channel of delivery (£ thousands)20202021United Nations Population Fund86,598,65061,478,603Non-core contribution (bilateral)66,598,65053,478,603Core contribution20,000,0008,000,000International Planned Parenthood Federation49,170,73842,550,197Non-core contribution (bilateral)49,170,73842,550,197Core contribution00World Health Organisation - assessed contributions13,541,39512,487,248Non-core contribution (bilateral)280,0000Core contribution13,261,39512,487,248World Health Organisation - core voluntary contributions account220,618,665133,127,635Non-core contribution (bilateral)215,618,66535,527,635Core contribution5,000,00097,600,000United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)460,738,181225,540,609Non-core contribution (bilateral)412,738,181201,540,609Core contribution48,000,00024,000,000Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)15,000,0002,500,000Core contribution15,000,0002,500,000Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria476,000,308380,000,000Non-core contribution (bilateral)3080Core contribution476,000,000380,000,000United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women19,405,7679,183,751Non-core contribution (bilateral)6,905,7673,433,751Core contribution12,500,0005,750,000

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Broadband and Mobile Phones: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce an industry-wide social tariff for mobile and broadband services for low-income households.

Viscount Camrose: The Government has no plans to introduce an industry-wide social tariff for mobile and broadband services for low-income households at this time.Low-cost broadband and mobile offers are available across 99% of the UK from 23 providers (including BT, Sky, Virgin Media, Shell, and Vodafone) from as low as £10 per month. Ofcom’s April 2023 Affordability Report noted 85% of consumers are able to switch to a social tariff with their existing provider.The Government continues to work with Ofcom to monitor market provision.

Home Office

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government how many seasonal agricultural workers there have been in 2023 so far through the seasonal agricultural workers scheme; and from which countries those workers originated.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office publishes data on Seasonal Worker visas by nationality in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of Seasonal Worker visas are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Selecting ‘Seasonal Worker (previously Tier 5)’ from the visa type subgroup filter will output data on Seasonal Worker visas. Nationality and time frames can also be filtered. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of March 2023. 2021 Q22021 Q32021 Q42022 Q12022 Q22022 Q32022 Q42023 Q1Work55,92872,84270,15477,562110,675123,068111,708142,320Investor, business development and talent1,4211,9591,4991,5641,1532,2842,3232,583Other work visas and exemptions8,2168,4656,3675,01110,3407,4286,1885,510Temporary Worker18,02415,25813,05113,83730,38017,89310,54817,559Worker28,26747,16049,23757,15068,80295,46392,649116,668It is important to note that the Seasonal Worker visa includes mostly horticultural workers, but also includes a small number of poultry workers. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Immigration

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government how many immigrants arrived in the UK (1) legally, and (2) illegally, in each calendar year since 2015.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office publishes the following data on gov.uk:Data on visas granted are published in table Vis_D02 of the ‘Immigration System Statistics release’. These statistics refer to the number of visas granted, and do not necessarily reflect the number of arrivals from long-term immigrants.Data on asylum seekers and refugees resettled in the UK can be found in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘Immigration System Statistics release’. Data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK is published in table Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK summary tables’. These statistics should not be used to infer the size of the irregular population in the UK, nor the total number of people entering the UK irregularly. tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02  (xlsx, 9347.3KB)

Immigration Controls: EU Countries

Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government on what date they expect the EU will bring into force ETIAS (the European Travel Information and Authorisation System) and the EES (Entry / Exit System); what progress has been made in preparation for physical arrangements for crossing the border with EU Member States under these systems; and what agreement for these the Government has reached with the Police aux Frontières.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The EU Justice and Home Affairs Committee will meet on 19th October to agree a timeline for EES and ETIAS implementation. HMG are working towards EES implementation in late 2024. ETIAS was originally expected to go live six months after EES, but we await confirmation of this in October.The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system. This includes working with port owners and operators to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts at the border. HMG’s focus is on the juxtaposed locations of Dover, St Pancras and Eurotunnel as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.We have recently received agreement in principle from the French Ministry of Interior to proceed with a proposal to relocate the coach facility at the port of Dover to enable EES, ETIAS and border control checks to take place in one location.However, it is ultimately for EU Member States and port owners and operators to implement the new system.

Migrants: Domestic Abuse

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan topublish the evaluation of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: In 2021 the Government awarded the charity Southall Black Sisters £1.4 million to run the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme pilot. This was following the Government’s review (in 2020) of its response to migrant victims who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This funding has now been extended until March 2025.The independent evaluation of the SMV Scheme considered the implementation and delivery of the pilot, the experiences and outcomes for those who accessed it, and how the pilot sat alongside existing support for migrant victims of domestic abuse. A total of 425 victims were supported during the pilot.When we have carefully considered the findings, we will publish the evaluation in due course.

Asylum: Children

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyrecorded diagnoses of malnutrition have occurred among child asylum seekers.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office does not hold data on diagnoses of malnutrition in the asylum seeking population.Asylum seekers in contingency accommodation are provided with breakfast, lunch, and evening meals, with a choice of at least one hot and one cold selection, at least one vegetarian option with each main meal and a food service for babies and small children with the appropriate foodstuffs. Food is provided in a location easily accessible to all.Portion sizes will be in line with the NHS 5-a-day guidelines, available at: 5 A Day portion sizes - NHS (www.nhs.uk). If an asylum seeker would like to discuss their dietary requirements, they are advised and supported to contact Migrant Help.We continuously look at ways to improve our procedures to ensure we address concerns quickly and effectively; one of the tools we use to achieve this is through our targeted surveys. These are 100% anonymous and available 24/7 in a variety of languages. The Initial Accommodation (IA) survey is aimed at all those who reside in all forms of contingency accommodation and seeks insight on the fundamental aspects of the provision. This includes questions on the accommodation standards and suitability, food offering, information provided.The Home Office monitors our service providers closely to ensure the requirements we set out in our contracts are being delivered. This includes physically inspecting contingency sites and food provision. The food service at hotels meets appropriate nutritional standards for each menu and satisfies cultural, religious, health or other specific requirements.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who worked with the British armed forces in Afghanistanthat have relocated to the UKhave eligible family members remaining in Afghanistan awaiting security clearance; and if any, when they expect the security clearance process to be completed.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Since the launch of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme in April 2021, we have received over 141,000 applications, and have relocated over 12,200 eligible individuals and their family members to safety in the UK. We are unable to breakdown our figures by specific job role.We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications. We prioritise all applications where the application has been made by an unaccompanied child, under the age of 18. We will also prioritise applications where there is an evidenced urgent or compelling reason.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government what the average waiting time between application, being granted security clearance and entering the UK is for Afghan interpreters who worked with the British armed forces in Afghanistan.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Since 2015, just over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. This includes those from country-specific schemes from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, in addition to global routes through the UNHCR and family reunion schemes.There are a number of complex issues that can impact how swiftly individuals can relocate to the UK, and as such, individual timeframes for decisions can differ considerably. Government departments continue to work collaboratively in order to make casework decisions and ensure visas are issued as soon as is practicable, following appropriate checks including security.More information on the number of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain issued to Afghans resettling under the ARAP or ACRS can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-dataAfghan Resettlement-programme-operational-data (pdf, 136.2KB)

Refugees: Children

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied migrant children have gone missing from hotels run by the Home Office.

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied migrant children who have gone missing from hotels run by the Home Office have since been found.

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied migrant children who have gone missing from hotels run by the Home Office have sincebeen arrested; and for what offences.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: UASC hotels are temporary accommodation that provide safeguarding for a child until they are ready to be transferred through the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) from an entry local authority to another local authority in the UK for ongoing care and support.We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in emergency interim hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.The data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured.The most recent published data can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Although the Home Office would record that an Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child (UASC) who’s gone missing from a UASC Hotel was arrested when they were found, we aren’t always notified of the full circumstances in which a UASC is found, and therefore we would not be able to provide details for this request.Asylum and resettlement datasets (xlsx, 124.8KB)

Migrants: Domestic Abuse

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they haveto consult representatives of the domestic abuse sector on (1) the development of the protocol, and (2) code of practice on data sharing, for migrant victims of crime.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government whatprotections are in place to ensure that migrant victims of domestic abuse can safely report abuse to the police, without fear of immigration enforcement action.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: A Migrant Victims Protocol is being established. This will provide an assurance to individuals that no immigration enforcement action will be taken whilst criminal justice proceedings concerning allegations of domestic violence are ongoing and/or whilst support to make applications to regularise their stay is being sought.Representatives of the domestic abuse sector have rejected the proposal of the protocol and opted not to engage further with the Home Office on its development.Representatives of the domestic abuse sector have received regular updates on the development of the protocol through Home Office chaired stakeholder groups. The Home Office has engaged with police and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner on an initial draft of the Code of Practice prior to consultation as required by Section 82 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.Feedback provided by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, as a representative of the domestic abuse sector, is being reviewed as the Code is developed. Consultation will take place before any Code of Practice is laid before Parliament for approval as required by the Act and will commence later this year.The Protocol will be finalised and communicated later this year.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how many children who arrived in the UK on small boats they have accommodated in each of the last five years; what steps they have taken to ensure their safety and security; what assessment they have made of the (1) safety, (2) security, and (3) safeguarding, measures put in place for those children; and how any issues identified have been addressed.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children arriving in the UK on small boats of whom they have lost track; what steps they have taken to identify their whereabouts; and what steps they have taken to ensure that other children do not go missing.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured.All asylum seekers, including children, have an interview on arrival in the UK which includes a series of questions specifically designed to understand whether there are any potential indicators of trafficking. A referral is made to the National Referral Mechanism if indicators are noted. In the case of children, a safety plan is put in place by social services, whilst adults identified as potential victims of modern slavery are entitled to care and support provided by the Salvation Army.There has been a significant increase in the numbers of young people making unnecessary and dangerous journeys to the UK. The Home Office has had no alternative but to temporarily use hotels in order to give some unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) emergency accommodation and support while permanent accommodation with a local authority is identified.We are determined to end the use of hotels for these young people and Home Office officials work tirelessly with local authorities to move children into care placements through the National Transfer Scheme (NTS).The Home Office has no power to hold children or adults in contingency hotels if they wish to leave. To minimise the risk of a child going missing, records of children leaving and returning to the hotel are kept and monitored. Support workers accompany children off site on activities and social excursions, or where specific vulnerabilities are identified.The Home Office and its accommodation providers have robust processes in place to ensure that where someone is at risk, they are referred to the appropriate statutory agencies of the police, NHS and social services, to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions. All contingency sites have security staff and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Retail Trade: Urban Areas

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans theyhave, if any, to support (1) business organisations, and (2) community stakeholders, to ensure the sustainability of new high street stores.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: A £400 billion package helped businesses impacted by COVID-19, whilst almost £8 billion has been invested in long-term initiatives to strengthen our local businesses including the 3-year Exchequer funded Transitional Relief scheme, worth £1.6 billion, which supports around 700,000 ratepayers in England. In addition to this, £830 million is currently being invested through the Future High Streets Fund helping 72 places to renew and reshape their town centres and high streets in a way that improves experience, drives growth and ensures future sustainability.The Government is empowering community groups to thrive now and in the future. The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund to support community groups to take ownership of beloved assets at risk of closure. We recognise it can sometimes be hard for community groups to raise the funding needed to buy or renovate the asset. The Fund will support community groups and run assets sustainably for the long-term benefit of the community.Government will also be shortly piloting up to 10 High Street Accelerators which will bring together representatives from business and the community as well as others to transform their high street.

Housing: Construction

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many new homes have been built so far during the current Parliament; how many are conversions from offices and retail and are not newly built; and how many are suitable for family occupation with a garden or play space as part of the property.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Department publishes an annual release entitled 'Housing supply: Net Additional Dwellings, England', which includes estimates of the components of housing supply, in each year since 2006-07, in Table 120 at this link: live-tables-on net supply of housing.Data on dwellings suitable for family occupation with a garden or play space are not centrally collected.  Net supply of housing (pdf, 87.4KB)

Rented Housing: Flats

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Scott of Bybrook on 20 July (HL9153),whether legislation in the Renters (Reform) Bill will override leases in apartment blocks which ban short lets.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the noble Lord to the previous answer given on this matter HL9153 on 20 July 2023.PQ HL9153 (pdf, 83.2KB)

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Renewable Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toexplore strategies to diversify energy sources in renewable energy technologies.

Lord Callanan: The Government supports new renewable electricity deployment through the Contracts for Difference scheme, which has awarded contracts across a range of technologies and helped to diversify renewable energy sources. For example, floating offshore wind and tidal flow schemes were successful in the 2022 allocation round. Companies wishing to develop novel technologies can also apply to the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund for innovation and development grant funding.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what response they plan to make to the call for unified global action by Climate Emergency Day, following the Climate Clock ticking below six years.

Lord Callanan: The UK is driving global climate ambition through its leadership in the UNFCCC process, multilateral forums such as the G7 and G20, and through international climate finance commitments and diplomatic networks. The Government is committed to spending £11.6 billion on international climate finance and is delivering on that pledge.COP28 will involve the first ever Global Stocktake of progress against the Paris Agreement. It must galvanise a step change in action and ambition from all involved.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany automated decision-making systems are currently in use by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, even partially, to make decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements; and how many of those systems have publicly available equality impact assessments or data protection impact assessments or both.

Lord Callanan: The Department’s analysts use machine learning techniques as part of analytical support to policy development. However, there is no use of such algorithms for automated decision making.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Clothing: Recycling

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the effectiveness of garment recycling offered by retailers; and what regulations and checks of compliance apply to such services.

Lord Benyon: As announced in the Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste programme on July 28th, we will develop and consult on policy options for reducing textiles waste, including requiring businesses over a certain size to provide a customer take back systems for used textiles. There is anecdotal evidence that garment recycling schemes can be effective, and we will assess this further as we develop the new policies. As these are voluntary initiatives, there are currently no regulations and checks of compliance that apply to the retailers. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) produced a guide for businesses on setting up takeback schemes, funded in part by Defra: Retailer-clothing-take-back-guide-Feb21.pdf (wrap.org.uk).guide for businesses on setting up takeback scheme (pdf, 3494.0KB)

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timescale for the lifting of the remaining restrictions onbringing species of plants and trees from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Lord Benyon: It will be possible to lift other prohibitions in future. The order in which such prohibitions are addressed will continue to be shaped by a prioritisation process led by industry, to determine the timing for submitting the technical dossiers required.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the EU regarding ongoing restrictionson bringing species of plants and trees into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Lord Benyon: We can submit further dossiers under the EU’s process for ‘high risk’ plants, where there is further interest from industry. Defra will work with the horticulture sector in compiling the necessary detail required for the dossiers. This engagement ensures that dossiers are prioritised according to the needs of stakeholders and to ensure that the relevant trade information is provided.

Veterinary Medicine: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the evidence provided by the British Veterinary Association to the House of Lords Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland in their inquiry on the Windsor Framework, which stated that in the current form "failure to obtain a permanent solution could see Northern Ireland lose access to 51% of the veterinary medicines it currently receives"; and what action they intend to take in response to address any reduction in access to veterinary medicines.

Lord Benyon: Under the old Protocol over half of existing UK veterinary medicine product lines supplying Northern Ireland could have been at risk at the end of 2022, which would have had serious consequences for human and animal health in Northern Ireland. The Windsor Framework removed that cliff edge, with a three year extension. This was important to solve the immediate problem, but the British Veterinary Association are right to emphasise the need for a long-term solution which protects the supply of veterinary medicines into Northern Ireland. This is what we are now working on.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what species or types of plants and trees remain bannedfrom being brought into Northern Ireland from Great Britain since the signing of the Windsor Framework.

Lord Benyon: We have paved the way to remove bans on 11 native British and other commercially important plant species by the next planting season. These species have been prioritised by industry for assessment under the European Food Safety Authority process, so they can move once the Windsor Framework takes effect. A further 15 dossiers have already been submitted, following consultation with industry. We will continue to engage intensively with industry to progress further cases wherever there is industry appetite, as we have secured a process for doing so under the Windsor Framework.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in increasing thevariety of plants and trees that can be brought into Northern Ireland from Great Britain since the signing of the Windsor Framework.

Lord Benyon: Since the signing of the Windsor Framework, Defra in collaboration with industry has responded to 21 requests from the European Food Safety Authority for additional information on dossiers subject to the Framework agreement, in addition to submitting 15 new dossiers to date for species not covered by the agreement. The process in place to lift prohibitions for other species is a permanent one. It will be possible to lift other prohibitions in future. However, the new arrangements have been shaped by a prioritisation process led by industry. This means that the most commercially important tree and shrub species will no longer be prohibited from moving to Northern Ireland from Great Britain, protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK’s horticultural and arable sector.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the signing of the Windsor Framework, what additional species of plants or trees can be brought into Northern Ireland from Great Britain beyond the species listed in that framework.

Lord Benyon: Eleven applications to lift the ban on ‘high risk’ plants were submitted to the European Food Safety Authority prior to the Windsor Framework, and within negotiations we agreed that the EU would expedite the process for lifting the bans. In February the Commission published legislation in the Official Journal lifting the ban on Ligustrum delavayanum and Ligustrum japonicum, which, while being two species, formed a single application for specialist topiary plants. Since February another seven dossiers have been approved and the implementing legislation published in the Official Journal - these cover hawthorn (crataegus monogyna), apple (malus domestica), crab apple (malus sylvestris), and four species of maple (Acer platanoides, Acer palmatum, Acer pseudoplatanus, and Acer campestre). Another three dossiers are going through the process with votes imminent. These are for:- Quercus robur- Quercus petraea- Fagus sylvatica The new arrangements also mean that the ban on the movement of seed potatoes will end and they will move easily from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, provided that they remain in the UK.

Inland Waterways: Safety

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact of their long-term funding settlement for the Canal & River Trust on the condition and safety of the canal network.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the social value to people and communities of the canal network; and whether they believe their long-term funding settlement for the Canal & River Trust will increase or decrease that social value.

Lord Benyon: The Government recognises that canals provide many public benefits, including social value to people and communities. When the Canal and River Trust was set up in 2012 to replace British Waterways, the Government agreed to provide an annual grant over 15 years to provide a measure of financial stability while the Trust developed alternative income streams. This was on the clear understanding, set out in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Defra and the Trust at the time, that the Trust would progressively reduce reliance on Government grant funding. During this 15-year period the total value of the grant payments will be around £740 million. The Government also transferred a property portfolio, generating around £50 million per annum and now worth around £1 billion, to support their costs. Following a comprehensive evidence-based review of the grant that included consideration of the public benefits provided by canals, and while there was no obligation to do so, the Government has agreed to provide the Trust with a further £400 million grant over ten years from 2027 to support their continued efforts towards providing public benefits and delivering a safe and resilient canal network. This is consistent with the original strategic intent for the Canal & River Trust to reduce dependence on taxpayer funding as an independent charity.

Marine Environment: Temperature

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of marine heatwaves on fish stocks and other marine life; and what adjustment is being made to fishery management and other marine management as a result.

Lord Benyon: Through the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership we are improving our understanding of the impact of climate change, including marine heatwaves. Evidence suggests there can be a lagged relationship between marine heatwaves and impacts to catches of some commercial species, with some increasing in the years after a heatwave and others decreasing. In the UK we are committed to ensuring that climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation are fully considered and integrated in our marine and fisheries policies. The third National Adaptation Plan (NAP3) was published on 17 July 2023 and marks a step-change in the UK Government’s approach to climate adaptation, putting in place an ambitious programme of decisive action for the next five years. The NAP3 showcases our plans to adapt to and mitigate the risks of a warming climate in the marine environment, including plans to protect, restore and create blue carbon habitats and manage the risks and opportunities to marine species, habitats and fisheries.

Paraquat: Exports

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ban the manufacture of paraquat in the UK for export, given its impact on human health.

Lord Benyon: The Government currently has no plans to ban the manufacture of paraquat in the UK for export. The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. Before the export of paraquat can take place, the explicit consent of the importing country is required. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely. The UK is committed to working internationally to support the safe management of pesticides. That is why we continue to support the listing of paraquat under the Rotterdam convention.

Department for Transport

Luton Airport: Climate Change

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to restrict the climate impact of London Luton Airport.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has ambitious plans to decarbonise all aviation, as part of our Jet Zero strategy and is already supporting a variety of technology, fuel and market-based measures to do so. Many airports have committed to decarbonising their operations including through the deployment of low carbon vehicles, on-site renewables, phasing out gas for heating and surface access strategies. Details of Luton Airport’s specific commitments and proposals have been published in its 2022 Sustainability Report.